Prevalence of current tobacco use in Africa Western and Central
Africa Western and Central: Prevalence of current tobacco use was 5.3% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of current tobacco use in Africa Western and Central, 2000–2024
Source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of adults.
Analysis
In 2024, prevalence of current tobacco use in Africa Western and Central stood at 5.3%. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 27.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of current tobacco use in Africa Western and Central peaked at 13.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 5.3%, in 2024.
That places Africa Western and Central 46th out of 46 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Prevalence of current tobacco use in Africa Western and Central, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 13.5% | — |
| 2005 | 10.9% | -19.2% |
| 2007 | 10.0% | -8.0% |
| 2010 | 8.9% | -11.5% |
| 2015 | 7.3% | -17.7% |
| 2020 | 6.0% | -18.1% |
| 2022 | 5.6% | -6.0% |
| 2023 | 5.5% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 5.3% | -3.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 11.5% | 10.0% | 13.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 8.1% | 7.3% | 8.9% | 2 |
| 2020s | 5.6% | 5.3% | 6.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Africa Western and Central
More health data for Africa Western and Central
- Population ages 35-39, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per capita 0.0237 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 40-44, female, annual growth rate 2.75 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per capita 0.0278 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, male, annual growth rate 2.24 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 35-39, female, per capita 0.0277 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 30-34, female, annual growth rate 2.27 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of current tobacco use in Africa Western and Central?
- Prevalence of current tobacco use in Africa Western and Central was 5.3% in 2024, according to Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest prevalence of current tobacco use recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The highest recorded value was 13.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of current tobacco use recorded in Africa Western and Central?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.3% in 2024.
- How does Africa Western and Central rank for prevalence of current tobacco use?
- Africa Western and Central ranks 46th out of 46 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of current tobacco use rising or falling in Africa Western and Central?
- Over the last ten years it is down 27.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Africa Western and Central data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Prevalence of current tobacco use (% of adults). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of the population ages 15 years and over who currently use any tobacco product (smoked and/or smokeless tobacco) on a daily or non-daily basis. Tobacco products include cigarettes, pipes, cigars, cigarillos, waterpipes (hookah, shisha), bidis, kretek, heated tobacco products, and all forms of smokeless (oral and nasal) tobacco. Tobacco products exclude e-cigarettes (which do not contain tobacco), “e-cigars”, “e-hookahs”, JUUL and “e-pipes”. The rates are age-standardized to the WHO Standard Population.